The Benj Report

Current blog

2007-03-06T08:04:00.000-05:00

For those who don't know, I blog regularly at www.xanga.com/benjart. I may start blogging (or picture-posting) here again in the future.

2006-05-13T07:38:00.000-05:00

A recent pic with Appachan.

2006-04-01T10:23:00.000-05:00

Talking to Amma in Maryland

2006-02-24T20:27:00.000-05:00

Uncle Roger & Me.

2006-02-24T20:22:00.000-05:00

close up at 1 week old

2006-02-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

"Here Comes Trouble" - me wearing dad's favorite outfit!

2006-02-18T20:28:00.000-05:00

Andrew Joseph has arrived!

2006-02-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

This pic and another, plus some commentary, are posted here.

2006-01-18T15:27:00.000-05:00

Benj

2005-12-03T17:24:00.000-05:00

My cute-as-a-button nephew, Nathan, with his daddy.

2005-12-03T17:23:00.000-05:00

Nice family shot.

2005-12-03T17:21:00.000-05:00

Us at the baby shower in Maryland. Look at me, pretending to listen. ;-)

2005-12-03T17:19:00.000-05:00

Sonia pontificating. :-) J/K!!!

2005-12-03T17:17:00.000-05:00

Serena (Sonia's little sis) and the fabulous cherry cheesecake.

2005-12-03T17:14:00.000-05:00

The pumpkin praline cheesecake for Betty's birthday that was just okay. Made by me mostly, and woulda tasted better if Sonia made it mostly.

2005-12-03T17:12:00.000-05:00

Us. Oct 11, 2005. At the Blue Moon for Sonia's Bday.

2005-11-09T15:33:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2004.

2005-11-09T15:30:00.000-05:00

Roger, pondering deeply on his next meal. :-)

2005-10-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

Sonia, acting like she's not tired after a long hike. ;-)

2005-10-11T20:52:00.000-05:00

Stuffed moose. Algonquin Museum. We hoped to see one or two of these live, in the wild. Perhaps next time. :-)

2005-10-11T20:51:00.000-05:00

Sonia's foot among the multi-hued fallen leaves of the Mizzy Lake Trail, Algonquin.

2005-10-11T20:50:00.000-05:00

At the start of the 2 km Peck Lake Trail, Algonquin.

2005-10-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

The Vacationing Couple, in the gardens of Casa Loma (huge, lavish 20th century castle in northern Toronto).

CB's 22+ weeks old now, and making his/her presence known!

2005-10-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

Me separated from the ground-way-way-down by just 2.5 inches of glass in the CN Tower, 114 stories in the air (Toronto).

Eerie, a little scary, and yet fascinating (see the cheeze grin).

2005-10-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

Sunset on one of the thousands of lakes in Algonquin.

2005-10-04T21:29:00.000-05:00

Algonquin Provincial Park. Ontario, Canada.

2005-09-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

Backyard Rose of Sharon bloom.

2005-09-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

New Table.

2005-09-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

Can't you see I'm busy yakkin?

2005-09-13T20:36:00.000-05:00

Little lady with an attitude. You betta check yo'self. :-)

2005-09-13T20:35:00.001-05:00

Nice cheezin for the cam. What big teeth you have, my dear. :-)

2005-09-13T20:35:00.000-05:00

Anna Doodle.

2005-08-16T17:58:00.000-05:00

Anna's first tractor ride, FLANKED by two of her uncles. ;-)

2005-08-04T17:22:00.000-05:00

Here's the post-retreat group shot. Summit Grove Camp, New Freedom Pennsylvania. July 4th weekend, 2005. GREAT TIME!!!

Anna's FOURTH COUSINS

2005-07-27T20:06:00.000-05:00

Rabeena's kids: An interesting shot of Josh and his 3 year old brother, Jacob - two extremely lively and lovable little fellows. This shot was taken in a millisecond, when they took off their "masks" (pillows) long enough to capture this pose. From their visit this past Sun night.

2005-07-27T20:04:00.000-05:00

Joshua Joseph, son of my 3rd cousin Rabeena. This kid is one of the most hyper 4-year olds I've ever been around. He wouldn't stay put for the pic, hence the vice-grip on his chin holding him still for like another millisecond. :-) There is something about this kid's look that reminds me of the little-boy pictures that I've seen of myself. "The same blood flows in my veins." - Aragorn.

2005-07-15T13:26:00.000-05:00

A pic from our wedding rehearsal night. Big smiles.

2005-06-27T19:14:00.000-05:00

Mommeeeeeee and Pookie

2005-06-27T19:04:00.000-05:00

Serena and Anna

2005-06-27T19:01:00.000-05:00

Somebody's Hungry !

2005-06-14T21:30:00.000-05:00

Three little dolls. Abigail and Susannah touching newborn Joanna. Taken at tonight's baby shower for Twinkle, due in three weeks. Great pic.

2005-06-13T13:31:00.000-05:00

Two months ago, I attended a Christian Men's Retreat at Laurel Lakes Camp near Rossiter, PA. Good times. Here are four pics, this first one being the Ohio crowd.

2005-06-13T13:30:00.000-05:00

Marylanders

2005-06-13T13:29:00.001-05:00

New Yorkers

2005-06-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

Pennsylvanians

2005-06-07T17:48:00.000-05:00

Little bird up in the tree. Becky's house. Cool pic eh?

2005-06-07T17:47:00.000-05:00

Having fun.

2005-06-07T17:46:00.001-05:00

Eating cheerios, one by one.

2005-06-07T17:46:00.000-05:00

Big kids swing.

2005-06-07T17:45:00.000-05:00

Get me outta this thing!

2005-06-07T17:44:00.000-05:00

Anna with grandparents at the park.

Testing

2005-06-06T14:08:00.000-05:00

1, 2, 3. Complaints of this blog not working. Testing.

Updates posted

2005-05-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

at XANGA.

2005-05-26T19:04:00.000-05:00

On the move!

2005-05-26T18:47:00.001-05:00

Look what I'm eating !!!

2005-05-26T18:47:00.000-05:00

Abigail & Anna

2005-05-26T18:46:00.000-05:00

Cutie patootie.

Awesome Weekend!

2005-05-25T11:19:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a great weekend we all just had! Beck, Si, Anna Banana, and Si's parents were with us since Friday night and left this morning.

The rundown: Anna's official dedication on Sunday, lots of late night chatting, Thai food last night at Betty & JojuCh's, grilled tandoori chicken at our place Sunday evening, plenty of time together with la familia, a wee bit of good natured arguing with the Beckster, seeing two huge catfish that Simu and JojuCh fished outta the pond, watching Anna stand up over and over and over again, Sonia snapping loads of pics and taking a few videos, talking with Si's parents. Good times.

And just ahead is the three-day Memorial Day weekend. Excellent!

2005-05-22T21:03:00.001-05:00

Anna and her Joju Uncle!

2005-05-22T21:03:00.000-05:00

Anna and her mom and pop, in front of a pine tree at the church.

2005-05-22T21:02:00.000-05:00

Here she is during the dedication prayers that were held for her today. Close your eyes when we pray Anna!

2005-05-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

Anna's here for the weekend. Here she is with her cousin Nathan. Both born within three days of each other!

Free Flow

2005-05-11T19:18:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I sat down and just free-flowed with my insignificant thoughts, so here goes:

Cousin Bagie from Atlanta visited from Saturday morning until today morning. Good times and good laughs had by all (no it's not a sin to eat ice cream twice in one day, just as long as it's a once-in-a-lifetime occurence, right!!). See picture below.

Anna's a-coming: yep, the almost-9-month old will be here in just about 10 days with her mom, pop, and Madras grandparents. Official baby dedication occurs that Sunday. Pictures are promised.

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring. It started lightning, thundering, and then raining a few minutes ago. Weather.com forecasts another 3-4 days of wetness. Love it.

Having a piano in our home has been a blast. Getting to play whenever we want is a new experience. Grazie to my parents who bestowed it upon us many months ago.

Recent reading includes The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny & Terror, by Natan Sharansky. A brilliant former Soviet Jewish dissident who served for the last several years in the Israeli cabinet. Once played chessmaster Garry Kasparov to a draw. The book so far is easy to read, and makes several good points. Definitely a good read for you students who might have to do a civics or world affairs paper.

Another book, this one by Ravi Zacharias: I, Isaac, take Thee, Rebekah. Have yet to crack this one open, but since Ravi wrote it, it's probably quite the read. This was an anniversary present from Sonia's parents, and it's next on my reading list.

2005-05-11T19:07:00.000-05:00

Sonia's cousin, Bagie, who visited us for the last four days. Location: Clifton Gorge.

We all had a great time; it's always fun to have visitors.

2005-05-11T19:05:00.000-05:00

A nice shot from Clifton Gorge, part of a huge state park near where we live. Spring has arrived!

2005-05-02T18:32:00.000-05:00

My nephew Nathan (Shibu & Nisha's baby) sitting next to my Dad.

2005-04-29T08:31:00.000-05:00

Another great Anna pic from an Indian grocery in Edison, NJ.

2005-04-27T15:42:00.000-05:00

Isn't my niece exceedingly cute?

WAY OVERDUE UPDATE

2005-04-22T19:44:00.000-05:00

It's been too long. No good excuse, so I won't even start. :-)

We had a blast last weekend, making a whirlwind of an East Coast trip (Maryland, New Jersey) to see family. Brookside Gardens near Silver Spring, Maryland was a great way to spend a couple hours on a gorgeous spring day.... loads of beautiful flower gardens, rolling hills, a pond stocked with exotic fish.

I already posted a couple pics of our neice, Anna Susan. Wow, did she grow a lot since Christmas!!! What a pleasant, cuddly, happy baby. Such a blessing. We finally figured out how to use the digital video feature on our digital camera, so we took a few mini videos and showed them to my parents when getting back to Ohio. It was fun to see them watching the videos - they started talking to Anna as if she was in the room with them!!!

Spring is in full bloom here, although the forecasts of SNOW (!!!???!!?!) for this coming weekend will put a damper on things. But spring will be back in no time at all, and before we know it the blazing days of summer will be upon us.

Pope John Paul II passed earlier this month, and has been replaced by his right hand man, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany (now known as Pope Benedict). In a strange, surreal, inexplicable way, I feel an odd sort of connection to John Paul II since seeing him live back in November (just five or six feet from where I was standing). I'll have to post the pic sometime.

Been studying Philippians of late. Gotta keep running the race. Blessings.. - Benj

2005-04-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

New Dress

2005-04-20T13:45:00.000-05:00

Anna Thomas age 8 months

A FEW QUOTES

2005-03-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

"The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives." - Albert Schweitzer

"All men die; few men ever really live." - Braveheart

"The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force." - Matthew 11:12, NASB

Birthday Reflections

2005-03-09T12:10:00.000-05:00

Another week is halfway over: lunchtime on Wednesday has arrived! Just 2.5 more days and the weekend will be here.

The birthday was a blast. We saw "The Music Man" at La Comedia. The play was a pretty good version of the movie that came out decades ago. Strong performances.

Went out with a bunch of friends and family on friday night to my absolutely favorite place to get a cheeseburger: Red Robin! Got my top choice: the bleu ribbon burger. Thanks to Sonia for putting together some nice suprises for me!

Gift of choice: the black Columbia sweatshirt from the Alexanders is definitely something I'll be wearing a lot. :-)

Above all, praise God for bringing me through another year. He has abundantly blessed me with an awesome wife, a wonderful family, great friends, and a loving church home. I certainly don't deserve ANY of this, and I am humbled at His great kindness and mercy toward me.

Servanthood

2005-02-25T12:41:00.000-05:00

PDL page 266: "Thinking like a servant is difficult because it challenges the basic problem of my life: I am, by nature, selfish. I think most about me. That's why humility is a daily struggle, a lesson that I must relearn over and over. The opportunity to be a servant confronts me dozens of times a day, in which I'm given the choice to decide between meeting my needs or the needs of others. Self-denial is the core of servanthood."

I find myself challenged by these sentences from the PDL book that I'm almost done reading (for the 1st time; already planning to read it at least once more).

Thinking most about me. How true is that. Day in and day out. How about thinking more about what GOD wants? There's hope: God has begun a good work, and He's going to complete it! That's a promise to hang onto.

New Seatbelt

2005-02-24T13:20:00.000-05:00

Silly little xanga update posted.

Man of the House

2005-02-22T10:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a silly but amusing joke that I got in an email:

A man had just finished listening to the audio book "Man of The House" while driving home from work.

Encouraged by what he had heard, when he arrived home he stormed into the house and walked directly up to his wife. Pointing his finger in her face, he said, "From now on I want you to know that I am the man of the house and my word is law! You are to prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, I expect a sumptuous dessert afterward. Then, after dinner, you're going to draw my bath so I can relax. And when I'm finished with my bath, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair?"

"The funeral director is my guess," said his wife.

Aerial view of Dayton, OH

2005-02-11T17:26:00.000-05:00

Found this picture online. Liked it. One of the nicer shots of Dayton that I've seen.

I unexpectedly got hooked into the Xanga world today. Click. I think these blogs at blogspot look better, and there are definitely more features available for free. But I get the feeling that there is more of a connectedness amongst the xanga readers themselves. Could be wrong. But for now I'll keep updating here.

It feels like I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Work stuff, Christian literature, reading the Bible from The Message translation, publications, etc. I think I need a breather for a couple days! Good thing the weekend's arrived! Have a good one.

The UnHummer & the H3

2005-02-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

The UnHummer Cometh: The Smart Car is migrating to US shores, after selling strongly in Europe for awhile. Littler than the Mini Cooper, and just a tad bigger than those Big Wheels that we used to tool around in during our pre-bicycle days. Whew, does that bring back memories! Anyhow, me & my sweetie saw these Smart Cars zipping around everywhere in our Italia trip last fall, and they were pretty sharp little rides, I must admit. Nice feature: these can be parked perpendicular to the curb. But a starting price of $15,000 is just too much for such a tiny thing, ain’t it? 55 miles per gallon, however, is not bad at all, especially for the green thumbers.

And is the puny beast safe, that’s the question!!! Get this: “Built by DaimlerChrysler in France (boo!!!), the Smart car — with what the company calls its "Tridion" safety cell structure — survived brutal crash tests, one of which pitted the little car against a Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan. According to Heidemann, "The passengers in the Smart car came out better than the ones in the S-class." “

Hummer H3: Okay patriots, let’s switch over to a made-in-America car now. The next generation HUMMER comes this spring to dealers, and to my driveway by Christmas 2005 (yeah right!). Really, Sonia wants one!!! (keep dreaming, Benj). Pricing starts around the mid-$30’s. The Hummer behemoths keep getting smaller and smaller, so maybe in about oh 10 years or so, Hummer will have a muscular looking competitor for the Smart Car?

Weak and wounded sinner

2005-02-08T13:13:00.000-05:00

Here's a Chris Rice song that has blessed me lately. Downloadable here for just 88cents - Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus).

Verse 1
Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O raise your head for love is passin' by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live

Verse 2
Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain
So sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live

Verse 3
Like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk sometimes we fall
So fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live

Verse 4
Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain
Then cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live

Verse 5
O and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside
Then dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live

Verse 6
And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world good-bye
Then go in peace and laugh on glory's side
And fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live

Finger Dipping Iraqis

2005-02-01T13:13:00.000-05:00

Great NY Times article quote:

"When Saddam was first toppled, liberty turned immediately into anarchy. But as Michael Rubin, who has spent much of the past two years in Iraq, observed yesterday in The Wall Street Journal, gradually the habits of moderation have begun to develop - the habits of self-regulating liberty, compromise, tolerance and power-sharing.

And then came Sunday's act of mass heroism. On the Internet and in interviews, Iraqis tried to convey the tactile feel of their new migration to normalcy.

"Every person has realized that he's not fighting alone in this battle," one voter wrote. "I moved to mark my finger with ink. I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants."

They proudly described liberating themselves, finally making themselves the initiators of their own lives."

Salvation - what age?

2005-01-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

Salvation Statistics: ("There's lies, there's danged lies, and then there's statistics", the old saying goes. But these statistics below sound about right to me).

1. Nine ouf of ten people who make a decision for Christ do so by the age of 18. The closer a person gets to age 18, the less likely he/she is to make a decision for Christ (this is a powerful rationale for getting involved in kids & teen ministries).

2. Most people who get saved report that a relative or very close friend was one of the main reasons. Not a televangelist, not a book, not a sermon at a revival meeting, but a relative or close friend. Relationships count.

January closes: This concludes the first month that I've regularly blogged here. And how easy it's been! Uploading pictures is a snap, writing these types of updates are a piece of cake, and the readability on the homepage is better than what I had before.

January 30, 2005: Yesterday, Iraqis voted - for the first time in 50 some years - for their own leadership. A momentous day for them, and for Bush and Blair. 70+% of the eligible population voted, despite numerous suicide bomber attacks that claimed over 25 lives, and injured dozens more. SEVENTY PLUS PERCENT. Brave, brave people.

Onto February. Looking forward to somewhat warmer temperatures over the next week or so. And as much as I like winter, I am begining to want spring to arrive.

Peace.

Life is a test

2005-01-27T09:47:00.000-05:00

Here are a few lines from Chapter 5 of Rick Warren’s mega-popular book, The Purpose Driven Life. Definitely worthy of reflection.

“Life on earth is a test…
God continually tests people’s character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty…

When you realize that life is a test, you realize that NOTHING is insignificant in your life. Even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. EVERY day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God. Some tests seem overwhelming, while others you don’t even notice. But all of them have eternal implications.”

The good news is that God wants you to pass the test of life, so he never allows the test you face to be greater than the grace he gives you to handle them.”

Random Musings

2005-01-26T13:05:00.000-05:00

Condi Rice: History is made today with Dr. Rice becoming the first african-american female Secretary of State. If President Bush was a Democrat, there's no doubt that this historic appointment would be making much bigger waves in the press.

Bible version discrepancies: Go to BibleGateway and check out Luke 4:8 in a few translations (KJV, New American Standard, NIV, New King James, etc). Why is the "get behind me Satan" left out of a few translations? This came up in a dinner conversation last night. By some reports, the NASB is thought to be the most accurate English translation of the Bible, and it doesn't include that phrase.

HillaryWatch: Does Hillary have Clinton appeal? Click.

Lebron James is on a roll. Here's an excellent Time article highlighting his recent triple double (youngest player ever to do so), and his claiming the "next Michael Jordan" mantle.

Weekend Happenings

2005-01-25T17:06:00.000-05:00

WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND !!!

We had a number of people over for a little 10pm party on Saturday night, my parents and Shibu & Nisha stopped by for dinner on Sunday evening. The church service on Sunday morning was blessed from start to stop (praise & worship, the message given, dedication of Nathan - Shibu & Nisha's firstborn, all topped off by a great lasagna lunch, courtesy of Misti and Gerry).

There is nothing like getting together with friends and family on a cold, snowy evening (sat night). And sitting around with hot drinks and hot snacks. The weather is forcing everyone to stay seated in their own homes, apart from each other, but people choose to brave the elements and have fellowship. Awesome.

Flat tire: what could be worse than having to change a flat tire in zero degree weather? As if I would know. hehehehehe. My car tire went flat in the church parking lot during a men's meeting on Saturday morning. It was just too blasted cold to change the thing, so I had it towed to a repair shop, and submitted the tow receipt to my auto insurance company. Lazy, Lazy.

Iraqi elections: will be held this coming Sunday, January 30th. A historic, momentous day. One radio report says that an estimated 80% of eligible voters plan to turn out. Unreal. If that happens, what an amazing boost for the Iraqi people themselves, and for their liberators.

Presidential Inauguration & Iraq

2005-01-18T17:42:00.000-05:00

Thursday's the big day.

George W. Bush will be inaugurated, for the second time, as the POTUS. His margin of victory was one of the narrowest margins ever for a re-elected president. 3% is not much I suppose, but it could have been a lot closer (i.e. 2000).

Bush is no wimp. He is going to swing for the fences in this second term of his. By his own admission, reforming the tax code and revamping social security are high on his priority list. These are huge domestic initiatives. Hopefully they won't go down in flames (i.e. the Clinton universal health care program). The tax code does need to be simplified. How many millions of productive hours are wasted, year after year, by citizens scrambling to get through all the forms and minutiae by April 15th? There's gotta be a better way.

On a more gloomy note, the Iraqi elections are still scheduled for January 30th. Much of that country is peaceful, and ready for elections. But there is still a lot of mayhem, insurgency, and killing. An Iraqi Catholic archbishop was kidnapped just yesterday. My dad and I both were saying, last night, that he was not likely to survive. Thankfully, we were wrong. The Vatican reported this morning that the bishop had been released, and was unharmed, and no ransom was paid for his release.

BABY COUSINS

2005-01-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

Baby Anna (right) and Baby Nathan (left) on Christmas Day, born within 3 days of each other this past August. Second cousins.

The Colosseum

2005-01-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

Sonia standing in front of the Colosseum in Rome. Nov 2004. This place was huge, and has an awful, bloody history. Thank God the gladiator days are long over.

Illness

2005-01-14T10:04:00.000-05:00

Cough, congestion, nose-blowing, left ankle pain. The last ten days have been marked by physical discomfort. It gives me a lot more appreciation for most-of-the-days when I feel fine, and am oblivious to the good health that God's given me.

Knowing that millions of people are afflicted with much more than my little illnesses, I am mindful that health is a gift. God's gift. And something to be ever grateful for.

A family member was recently told that she would need heart surgery. This prompted us all into prayer and reflection. A few days later, an echocardiogram revealed that she would not need such a surgery after all. God's gift. God's blessings. What a comfort to know that our lives rest in His Hands. No worries.

Years ago, a friend was diagnosed with a severe brain tumor. She underwent treatment, and seemed to recover. But then the relapse, followed by her passing to glory, and now we have memories of her.

An acquaintance from recent years, still in his 20's, was well on his way to being a success, by worldly standards. And then the strange form of leukemia attacked him, did not relent, and now we have only memories left.

One's life races by, and is seemingly but a vapor in the grand plan that God has for humanity. But how He values each of our lives! Created in His image and for His glory, His plans for us far exceed anything we could come up with on our own.

Psalm 103.

Italian Cuisine

2005-01-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

Sonia digging into spaghetti alla carbonara on our last evening in Italy. Nov 13, 2004.

Baby Traveller

2005-01-14T09:24:00.000-05:00

My niece Anna on Nov. 15, 2004, ready for the ride to New Jersey.

Switching from bsmooth.tripod.com

2005-01-13T17:36:00.000-05:00

Since 1996 or 1997, I have posted various things at http://bsmooth.tripod.com. Over the last couple years, though, the number of pop-up ads at tripod has become downright bothersome. I guess it's all a ploy to get people to upgrade to paid accounts.

Another inconvenience at tripod has been having to use Microsoft Frontpage to write my updates. Here at benjart.blogspot.com, I can just log in at blogger.com and do it straight from blogger's editor. Very nice, very simple. I just now have to figure out how to upload pictures. :-)

I do wonder, though, how long blogger can continue to let all these web writers post for "free" without pop up ads, paid subscriptions, etc.

But for now, I am making the switch. I guess I'll still maintain bsmooth for awhile. We'll see. But for my most regular updates, check back here at benjart.

Philippians 3:8-9

2005-01-11T13:02:00.000-05:00

Encouraging reminder from Apostle Paul. Helps to keep things in perspective:

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him." - New Living Translation

Long Term Christians

2005-01-08T01:29:00.000-05:00

My cousin, Becky, posted the below about her pastor/grandfather on a weblog run by Joshua Harris (Mr. "I Kissed Dating Goodbye"). It's #142 at http://joshharrisblogson.blogspot.com/

I have been attending my church now for about 15 years, and I can truly say that I have been spiritually fed and blessed countless times, over and over again. C.C. in his humbleness to serve, has been a spiritual guide and encouragement to me over the years, not only as a pastor, but I am also blessed because he is my grandfather. His pure love and compassion to help others and pour out the Gospel of Christ to the community is truly an example of “laying down our life” and has enabled our church to grow in unity. His gift of speaking and in-depth teaching of the Word has been tremendous over the years and we always learn something new. Even when he comes to visit, I can count on him for a wise thought, a prayer, a verse, or companionship. Pastor and also Grandpa C.C. is someone I admire and will cherish forever.

Her grandfather is someone I personally have been blessed to know for most of my life, and I have also seen many of these same things that she wrote about. It is such an inspiration and a driver to know Christians who've been walking with God for many, many years. Christians who have such a testimony.

Onto 2005

2005-01-06T17:39:00.000-05:00

The New Year is upon us.

Every New Year, I am always inspired by a sense of mystery and hope. Who knows what the next year holds? One thing is certain, though: God walks with us every step of the way. So there's no need to worry.

December doldrums

2004-12-09T14:57:00.000-05:00

It's yet another gray December day. Feels a little grayer than usual, because of my ongoing recovery from several days of a strep throat infection. It's been years since I felt that ill. But the Lord pulled me through, and Sonia took great care of me. Mom made some of her classic potato soup that she always made when we were little and not-feeling-well, so that definitely was a throwback to the old days. Pleasant.

"Great is thy faithfulness" - this old hymn came back to me once or twice during the illness. "All I have needed, they hand hath provided" - Even in sickness, great trials, God knows what we need. How comforting. Just lay there, be peacable, knowing that He's in control.

Saturday morning

2004-10-16T07:14:00.000-05:00

Well it's been forever since I've done an update on the weekend.

One of the nice features of blogspot is being able to update from the internet directly, without a program like MS Frontpage. I think there's even a feature where I could email in an update if needed. Cool.

I'm heading off this morning to a bimonthly men's meeting for the church: kind of a combination of fellowship, prayer, and discussing practical matters.

For some reason, I am beginning to worry a little about this upcoming election. For the last several weeks, I have been coolly confident that Dubya will prevail in the end. I still think that will happen, but a small worry has opened up in my mind.

James 1 has been on my heart for the last few weeks, after hearing a message on this chapter one Sunday at church. Enduring trials. Understanding that God is at work during those trials, perfecting me, as Job was perfected (Job 23:10).

If Bush Loses....

2004-10-15T14:16:00.000-05:00

It will in no small part be due to the efforts of this man: CLICK.

But the latest Zogby poll shows Bush to have climbed to a FOUR POINT LEAD after the third debate (48% to 44%). For whatever reason, Zogby is considered among the most reputable and accurate of the pollsters. (He was within 1/10 of a percent of predicting the 1996 presidential race).

Testing Testing 1, 2, 3.

2004-10-15T08:04:00.000-05:00

http://bsmooth.tripod.com is still up and running. Just updated it earlier this morning.

I've started using Mozilla Firefox for my web-browser (instead of Internet Explorer), and Firefox automatically blocks almost all popup ads.

Continuing on ...

2004-06-04T15:13:00.000-05:00

bsmooth.tripod.com is where I've posted my thoughts off and on since 1997 or so. But over the last year, the amount of advertising that pops up on the site has gotten increasingly annoying. So I am contemplating a switch to this scroll-looking webpage.

We'll see how it goes. Hopefully blogger/blogspot will be more dedicated to NOT ANNOYING THE READERS & BLOGGER and there wont be a future need to shift.